3. Voldemort's trick

(Back to Hermione's POV)

Harry was suggesting we should go to Godric's Hollow, and I know that's where Voldemort will be expecting us, but that might be where he hid one of his horcruxes, and better yet, where Dumbledore hid the sword of Gryffindor. So we apparated to there, and as we walked I heard the voices of people singing in the nearby church.

"Harry I think it's Christmas eve," I whispered.

He nodded slowly, and then we were standing in front of his old house.

"This is where they died," He muttered, looking up at the house where he used to live.

"Would you like to go see them?" I asked gently.

Harry nodded again and we walked into the graveyard. As we were looking for the Potters' grave, I saw a grave with the mark on it. I should probably explain, you see, in the Tales of Beetle the Bard, the book that Dumbledore gave me in his will, there are all these markings, shaped like strange As' with circles in them. I called to Harry, but he'd already found his parents.

"Merry Christmas," He whispered.

Suddenly the back of my neck tingled like it does when you know someone is watching you and I whipped my head around. Bathilda Bagshot stood by the entrance to the graveyard, making slow hand movements toward her.

"Do you suppose we should follow her?" I asked Harry, my breath making a cloud in front of me.

"Who?" He asked distractedly, watching the grave with tears in his eyes.

"Bathilda. Over by the entrance."

Harry looked up and followed my gaze and made a weird noise, something between a sob and a snort.

"She knew my parents..."

I nodded gently.

"You didn't answer my question Harry."

"Oh, right, yeah, I suppose," He mumbled.

Her lips curled upwards slightly when she saw us, as if she was fighting the urge to smile, or possibly trying to. We followed her to her house, an old, abandoned looking place where she asked Harry to come upstairs, wanting me to stay downstairs. I supposed she wanted to talk to him personally, but then again, she didn't really speak, so I didn't know what to think. I dusted off an old book by a fireplace. The buzz of flies almost put me in a daze, I kept dusting....

Blood. Suddenly blood began to drip from the ceiling, lots of it, and I screamed, "Harry!"

I heard a crash from upstairs. I ran up the creaking staircase and bolted into the nursery room. Harry was on the ground, frantically crawling away from.... Nagini.

Nagini was wrapping himself around me. Harry grabbed my wand from between my fingers and let out a "Rictisempra!"

The snake uncoiled and I ran with Harry towards the window. Suddenly the deatheaters appeared behind us. Bellatrix, Lucius, Draco- I screamed when I saw him. Suddenly me and Harry apparated and we were lying in the grass. Harry stood up and set up the tent, but I lay in the grass longer. Had I really seen Ron? Or was it just the desperateness of, well, wanting him?